One popular question that is always running through virtually every job applicant’s mind is how long the recruitment process takes or how long it takes to get feedback from the recruitment team after an interview?
A straightforward answer to that question is that there’s no way to tell how long it will take to get feedback after an interview.
You must realize that there is no one-size-fits-all in the hiring or recruitment process. And because the hiring process varies from employer to employer and industry to industry, it’s almost impossible to tell how much time it will take for an organization or business to get back to you about a job offer.
Here is a glimpse of the steps and time it takes between interviews and offer.
As you may already know, the recruitment process starts when an organization posts a job opening and accepts applications from interested applicants. This stage is known as the job posting stage.
After the job posting stage comes the review stage. This is where whoever is in charge of the recruitment process, usually the hiring manager sorts the applications they receive and screen out the ones that do not meet the set requirements.
Next is the interview stage. As the name implies, the interview stage is when the recruitment team invites eligible candidates for an interview – mind you; there could be more than one interview.
Depending on how the recruitment team decides to handle the process, they may choose to do in-person interviews or remote/electronic interviews. Remote interviews can be held over the phone or any online media like zoom or Skype.
Here are a couple of insider tips.
When an organization contacts you about a virtual interview, don’t get carried away by excitement.
Remember to ask what video conferencing software or app they prefer and the schedule for the interview. While you are at it, ensure that you have a strong internet connection and get yourself set up in a private location.
It also helps to do a test run of the chat program or software to familiarize yourself with its features before the interview.
At the end of the interview, the recruitment team will get back to you on the next step. Usually, they will arrange another meeting to inform you of their decision.
How long does it take to get a job offer?
According to survey reports by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) on college graduates recruiting benchmarks, employers take an average of 24.5 days to get to communicate job offers after an interview.
An experienced recruitment agency can speed up the process because they have the resources and skillset to ensure that recruitment processes go smoothly. As such, cutting the duration of time-to-hire.
Recruiting benchmark survey reports by Jobvite put the average time to hire at 38 days in 2018 and 39 days in 2016.
That tells you that the amount of time it takes to get an offer varies significantly from one employer to another. The duration is also affected by the position you are applying for.
Why does it take so long?
First, there are usually many candidates for the employers to interview, and depending on the schedule and number of candidates, the hiring process can take a long time.
Suppose the employer is interested in hiring you after the interview; they would usually do background checks and double-check your references. And this is not to mention the time it will take for some employers to put together a job offer package.
Other reasons that can make the recruitment process tardy include unresolved internal issues like budget or someone refusing to vacate his/her position. It could also be that the hiring manager is caught up with other projects that are more important than the recruitment process at the time.
In Conclusion
While waiting for the hiring team to get back to you, it’s always best to try out other places and not sit on your hands. There is no guarantee that the company will be calling you to make a job offer for all you know.
However, you should follow up after the interview with either an email, letter, or a phone call. You can send a thank you email to the interviewer if you have their contact. While you are at it, be polite and remember not to overdo it.